Last night the Mt Lebanon Commission unanimously passed a transformative resolution that adopts mobilizing efforts to promote a resilient and sustainable community.
The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report released this last month, cannot emphasize enough that what communities do in the next decade matters. Greenhouse gas emissions in cities are already substantial and continue to rise. Despite cities’ significant contribution to climate change, they also represent a huge opportunity for ambitious climate action — if swift and aggressive measures are taken.
Cities are responsible for the majority of CO2 and methane emissions, producing between 67 and 72 percent of emissions in 2020 from the production and consumption of goods and services. The science is clear: by taking aggressive and immediate action for electrification, energy and material efficiency, renewable energy, and land-use changes, cities can approach net-zero emissions by 2050. But without immediate and significant action, urban emissions could double by mid-century as urban populations, land area, and economic impact continue to grow. The actions communities do or do not take in the next decade matter.
This is a long and complex journey that we are on. The municipality has already taken many critical initial steps and we are lucky to have started from a very strong foundation. It is time to take the next step. It is time to formalize and accelerate this process.
The crafting of this resolution took many hands. I want to sincerely thank my fellow Commissioners who not only patiently listened to me talk about this way too often but have actively contributed to crafting the final language of the resolution, the many residents who offered ideas and suggestions, past and present Environmental Sustainability Board members who have put in countless hours on sustainability initiatives, Mt. Lebanon municipal staff, and engineers who are truly a world-class team that is willing to undertake the largest and most complex challenges for the betterment of the community, CONNECT staff who are championing regional innovation and collaboration across many critical topics including climate change, and many other local and regional partners who have all, in uncountable ways contributed to craft this resolution and help set us on a path toward a more sustainable and resilient future.
The full text of the resolution can be found here: https://www.mtlebanon.org/DocumentCenter/View/19531/Resolution-No-R-10-22
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